I thought I’d skip a report on this event entirely due to lack of photography, but when I mentioned it in the previous post, I realized I had to share with the world at least some of my good memories – so here are a few words about the Florida Young Naturists‘ Spring Bash and its venue, Sunny Sands Resort. It’s a spacious resort, mostly oriented to permanent or part-time residents; FYN certainly changes its pace! There are some basic amenities typical to a naturist resort, such as a pool, a hot tub, volleyball court; the restaurant seems to be open only during such events. The Spring Bash itself was very well organized, with numerous fun activities, seminars and workshops hosted by the participants: e.g., capoeira and acro-yoga (by yours truly), salsa, juggling, fire-spinning, discussions on polyamory… There were professional masseurs too, and needless to say they were very much in demand – one had to sign up for a session. I got probably the best deep tissue massage I had ever had (and to add a cherry on the cake, the masseur was my namesake!) All these activities were free, and there was a good sense of community and active participation. In the evening there was live music, and the band got naked too. When we gathered around the fire pit at night, one guy started singing a Swahili song, and then taught us all the chorus (which alternated between male and female voices) – it was a beautiful experience! Thus, it was a very busy event, but you could always leave for a walk on the nature trail if you wanted some quiet time.
As it often happens, naturist events and venues have prohibitive or very restrictive photo policies, so I cannot provide a full report from FYN Spring Bash in the same sense, as I do from Burning Man, for example. But here are some photos from Sunny Sands’ nature trail, which is worth a mention too (even with a risk of confusing naturists and naturalists 😀 )
Woodpeckers seemed to be particularly active at the time.
This one literally stuffed his beak with larvae (probably saving them for the chicks).
But I’m not sure they’d touch this hairy caterpillar.
There used to be a pond of a decent size, but most of the water has vanished now.
But what’s left still provides home for water lilies, frogs
and a family of cranes!
I’ve never seen wild cranes so close, though these ones are clearly used to human presence.
(And perhaps it makes them feel safer that the humans around them are naturally naked :-))
It’s no surprise that body painting works best with naked people, and Andy Golub brings this art form to the next level by arranging massive body painting sessions in public spaces. While I thoroughly enjoyed those 
We first got painted at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. It took 2-4 hours for some models to be finished, so it’s a pretty serious commitment for both models and artists. 
It turned out that 
And here are some more of my favorite photos: 
– reference to 
– Eve and the evil Serpent in one – probably my favorite work from this year! 
Lunch break wasn’t too long though, as we marched out towards the UN building. 
Some posing with police 🙂 
Even though it’s legal in New York to be naked for art performances, police gave Andy Golub hard time during his first public body art gigs, so he eventually got a special permit. Good to see police actually being supportive of an event like this! Maybe they won’t 
As we got to the UN, we were surrounded by a pretty big crowd – maybe some UN workers among them? 
Hopefully one day the freedom to be naked will be acknowledged as a fundamental human right – the right to be just the way you were born, and the way you are, uncovered. 
Well, for now, we need events like this to be able to take a nude photo by the UN building 🙂 
I tried to replicate DNA double helix shape with my body; 
handstands weren’t as meaningful, but when else would I get a chance to act like that by the UN? Too bad there probably was nobody to appreciate the view from those offices, as it was Sunday… I actually ride my bicycle on this bike lane a few times a week – this place will never be the same for me! 😀 
Then we all (models, artists and photographers) got on two double-decker buses and rode around Manhattan 
cheering and amusing passers-by – and also being cheered back. The first stop for a group shot was at Rockefeller Center (see the first photo in this post) 
followed by the NYC Public Library. 
Then we went down to Washington Square Park,
where we started dancing to the music of street musicians, so our appearance was more like a fun flashmob. 
During those stops we also had an opportunity to talk to people, as many were wondering about the cause. I don’t recall any negative reaction, which once again shows that by far majority of people, once confronted with nudity, don’t actually see it in a way that you might expect judging by our legislation – our bodies are nothing to be ashamed of and on contrary are works of art!
Active Naturists 